Gudrød the Hunter

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Gudrød the Hunter (Old Norse: Guðrǫðr veiðikonungr, Norwegian: Gudrød Veidekonge) was a semi-legendary king in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age. He is mentioned in the skaldic poem Ynglingatal. Snorri Sturluson elaborates on Gudrød's story in Heimskringla, written c. 1230; however, this is not considered to be a historical account by modern historians. The following account is taken from Heimskringla.

Gudrød was the son of Halfdan the Mild of the House of Yngling and Liv Dagsdotter of Vestmar. He married Alfhild, a daughter of Alfarin the king of Alfheim (Bohuslän), which was the name of the area between Glomma and Göta älv, and inherited half the province of Vingulmark. They had a son, Olaf Gudrødsson.

When Alfhild died, Gudrød sent his warriors to Agder and its king, Harald, to propose a marriage with his daughter Åsa. However, Harald declined, so Gudrød decided to take his daughter by force.

They arrived at night. When Harald realised that he was being attacked, he assembled his men and fought well, but died together with his son Gyrd. Gudrød carried away Åsa and married her. He raped her and she gave him a son named Halfdan who would be called Halfdan the Black.

In the fall, when Halfdan was a year old, Gudrød was having at a feast in Stiflesund. He was very drunk and in the evening, as he was walking on the gangway to leave the ship, an assassin thrust a spear through Gudrød, killing him. Gudrød's men instantly killed the assassin, who turned out to be Åsa's page-boy. Åsa admitted that the page-boy had acted on her behalf.